Through Nobara's Eyes
by Aminatsu032
Summary: AU. “As much as it hurt, I understood. Because in the four years I was gone, no one had been brave enough to touch Natsume's heart like this girl did. This girl, Sakura Mikan - she was sure something.” A Can You Keep A Secret? sidestory.


I decided to write this to give a clear idea to what happened to Natsume and Nobara a few years back and to clear all those questions in the readers' heads regarding the subject. Readers that haven't read my story, Can You Keep a Secret? may have a hard time understanding this oneshot so if you wish to understand it more, read it first. Thank you.

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**Through Nobara's Eyes**  
a side story to Can You Keep a Secret?  
_Written by: Aminatsu032_

Back then I swore to myself that I wouldn't be jealous of other people anymore - no matter how fortunate they were with their friends and family. Especially family. I remembered when I was little, I would always ask my father where my mother was and he would always tell me I was too young to understand. A few years later, I understood that they'd been divorced when I was three. My father was too afraid that I'd be experiencing the pain that he experienced so he kept me from the world. I always home-schooled so I wasn't very sociable and I had no friends.

There was once a time when I saw a girl about my age. I wanted to be friends with her so bad that I followed her around everywhere and she ended up being scared of me because I was stalking her. And it always ended up like that. I wasn't very brave. I wasn't very good at pretending I was, either.

I would've ended up growing up alone, too, if I hadn't met him.

I remembered when my father had business with his mother; I came along with him at the office, but ended up just waiting outside. I was bored, and so I decided to listen to their conversation.

"What are you doing?"

My body jolted up in surprise when I heard him, and I immediately turned around to meet his red, ruby eyes.

"I...I..." I stammered, looking for anything to say as an excuse.

He ignored my stuttering. "Those grown-ups will seriously kill you if they find out that you're doing," he said, still eyeing me with both his hands in his pockets.

I set my tracks backwards and away from the office. "S-s-s-sorry. I...I really didn't mean to."

He rolled his round eyes before he spoke again. "Did you really think I was going to tell on you?"

I pressed my lips together. I couldn't find an answer because I really thought he was going to tell my father what I did.

He turned his back at me. "Who are you, anyway? I haven't seen you around."

I pulled myself together and bowed. "I - I'm Ibaragi Nobara."

His eyes narrowed when I spoke my name. "You're the daughter of Flame's new investor?" he asked, but awaited no answer. "I'm Hyuuga Natsume, heir to the company."

It amazed me how he introduced himself. He sounded as if he was so sure of him being Flame's heir. He was confident and composed, too, and wasn't stuttering, unlike me.

That was the first time I'd met Hyuuga Kaoru's son, but it wasn't the last. At times, when my father would have conferences with Flame's management again, I would come along and we would sit on the rooftop and talked to each other.

Natsume would ask dozens of questions and I end up stuttering my answers and he would grin, as if he was bemused at my lack of confidence. For the first time in my whole life, I'd met a friend.

It went on like that for a long time, but I'd never forget the time that he invited me to their mansion. It was twice as huge as hours and it only proved why my father chose Flame to invest in. Whenever I visited, Natsume and I would always sit down in the garden, watching his father paint with his gifted hands. It amazed me how he could turn a plain canvas into a beautiful masterpiece.

Natsume and I weren't the only ones that watched whenever Mr. Hyuuga drew. Aoi was also there, Natsume's little sister. I thought it was cute when Aoi would be her usual cheery, happy-go-lucky self and Natsume would end up getting annoyed with her and they would have their usual sibling-bickering. It made me want to have a sister.

After a while, I noticed that nobody would ever see Hyuuga Kaoru and her husband in the same room, and so I asked Natsume about it and he told me that whenever they met in the hallway, they would always end up screaming to each other. Kaoru-sama would tell him how unprofessional he was with his artistry and Mr. Hyuuga would say he was just getting a break from all the pressure he'd been experiencing since Flame.

"That's why I want to take over Flame as soon as possible," Natsume told me, "so that they'd finally have no reason to fight whenever they saw each other."

I thought his reason was noble. At first, when I didn't know the truth behind it, I always thought it was kind of stupid to look forward to a job you never chose. I never really wanted to take over the Ibaragi Group. I wanted to travel the world and see different places, instead.

I've always looked forward to Natsume. He was fifteen and I was eighteen at that time, but I always felt like he was older than me. He was much braver and much confident than me. Also, he was stronger. He was everything I wanted to be.

About a week after I found out about Natsume's parents was probably the biggest fight the two Hyuugas ever had. During that time, I couldn't talk to Natsume about anything. He always dazed off and it was as if he wasn't listening. Days and nights went by and his parents' fights were getting worse and they ended up having a divorce and the two siblings were pulled away from each other. Aoi was with her father and Natsume ended up living in the mansion with Igarashi Kaoru.

When Kaoru-sama used her maiden name again, Natsume was angry. I've never seen him that angry at anyone. Usually, he would keep his cool and not mind things that he doesn't believe are necessary in life. He wasn't his usual self anymore and he became cold to anyone who came near him. He didn't talk much and he kept himself busy all the time. It was as if his heart was turned to ice and there was nothing I could do about it.

When Natsume's world seemed to be clashing apart, that was when I received news from my father. We needed to move to the United States to expand our business.

I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay. Stay where Natsume was. Stay when he needed me most, but I wasn't strong enough to stand up for what I wanted. I agreed to my father hands down. When I told Natsume this, he said nothing. He didn't tell me to go, nor did he tell me to stay. I felt like my heart was crushed into pieces. After all that Natsume has done to me, I felt that I didn't do anything to make it up to him. I could only leave when he needed me to stay. I could only leave my first real friend behind.

"Nobara," he called when I was about to leave at the airport.

I didn't let him finish. I ended up crying as I told him my last words before I departed. "I'm s-sorry, Natsume. I-I couldn't d-d-do anything -"

Natsume wiped the tears off my eyes, which was easy for him to do since he was much taller than I was. "Stop crying, Stupid."

I bit my lower lip and tried not to.

"Nobara," he repeated, looking straight into my eyes. "I love you. When you come back, I want you to marry me."

At that time, I didn't know what to say. It was shocking to have somebody three years younger than I was asking me for marriage. I didn't tell him yes, but I didn't disagree with him either.

I put all my sadness aside and tried to force a smile.

During my stay at the US, I tried my best to improve myself. I wanted to be strong so that I would be somebody worthy when I came back to Japan. Now, four years has passed and I've finally arrived back home to visit, after I received news that Natsume was engaged. I rushed back to confirm to Natsume, himself, if it was true.

He was in front of me, with a stoic, expressionless face.

"I'm home," I told him, no longer stuttering.

Natsume's lips pulled up in a very small smile. "Welcome home," he said.

There was something in his eyes. Something so distant and at that moment, I knew what he wanted to say.

"Nobara," he said. It felt odd to hear him call my name again. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head, in attempt to say something, but in the end, I couldn't. That was because I knew. I knew that he wouldn't be able to stand up with what he told me four years ago. As much as it hurt, I understood. Because in the four years I was gone, no one had been brave enough to touch Natsume's heart like this girl did. No one had been brave enough to reach out to him like she did and I knew now why he couldn't stick to his promise.

This girl, Sakura Mikan - she was sure something.

**FIN.**


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